WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -What was the Reconquista? The Reconquista was a centuries-long series of battles by Christian states to expel the Muslims (Moors), who from the 8th century ruled most of the Iberian Peninsula. Visigoths had ruled Spain for two centuries before they were overrun by the Umayyad empire.

Detailed explanation-2: -On January 2, 1492, King Boabdil surrendered Granada to the Spanish forces, and in 1502 the Spanish crown ordered all Muslims forcibly converted to Christianity. The next century saw a number of persecutions, and in 1609 the last Moors still adhering to Islam were expelled from Spain.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Reconquista began in 718 when King Pelayo of the Visigoths defeated the Muslim army in Alcama at the Battle of Covadonga. This was the first significant victory of the Christians over the Moors. Over the next several hundred years the Christians and the Moors would do battle.

Detailed explanation-4: -Between 1492 and 1610, some 3, 000, 000 Muslims voluntarily left or were expelled from Spain, resettling in North Africa. This displaced population provided an army of recruits prepared for commercial war against Christendom, launching piratical attacks from bases in Algiers, Tunis, Morocco, and Tripoli.

Detailed explanation-5: -Finally, the Reconquista was driven by a desire for land and profit. Because kings in the Middle Ages were not as strong or as wealthy as they would later become, most military actions against the Moors were privately financed.

Detailed explanation-6: -Between 1609 and 1614 the Moriscos were expelled from Spain for political and religious reasons. All Morisco communities had to leave their villages in Spain. This event mostly led them to Northern Africa.